Auburn family to honor Maj. David Brodeur

Friday

Apr 19, 2013 at 6:00 AMApr 19, 2013 at 6:16 AM

By Elaine Thompson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Todd E. Brodeur believes that if his brother, U.S. Air Force Maj. David L. Brodeur, had survived an attack that took his life while serving in Aghanistan two years ago, chances are he would have needed special help with his traumatic injury or help in dealing with combat stress.

His brother was one of eight American service members gunned down April 27, 2011, by an Afghan military officer at Kabul International Airport.

To honor their brother, Todd, a partner in the law firm Fletcher Tilton; his sister, Amanda, a special education teacher in the Worcester public schools; and several other family members and friends will participate in the fourth annual Run/Walk to Home Base at Fenway Park May 4.

The event raises money for the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital to provide clinical care for veterans with combat stress and traumatic brain injury, and support services and counseling for the families of wounded veterans. During the first three years, the event has raised more than $7 million to help treat 500 veterans

In New England, an estimated 50,000 veterans, or one in three, who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are affected by traumatic brain injury or combat stress, according to event organizers.

“Sometimes there are difficult situations where traditional treatment is not enough for these folks. They need a different environment and different approach to their treatment and this provides that,” said Mr. Brodeur, who lives in Shrewsbury with his wife, Jo-Ellen, and three children.

“It struck me that just based on the incident that Dave went through, had he come back to us, I'm sure it would have been a very traumatic situation and very difficult to deal with. It just seems like a great fit for us to partake in this program and support it.”

Mr. Brodeur, 34, is the age of his older brother when he was killed. The siblings grew up in Auburn with their parents, Lawrence and Joyce Brodeur, who now live in Sutton.

“He was a typical older brother. He was very protective. He wanted to make sure my younger sister and I were taken care of. He was very caring. And he was a dedicated husband and father and he had a very strong faith,” Mr. Brodeur said.

Mr. Brodeur said his older brother wanted to be in the Air Force ever since he was a child. Several family members had military careers, including his grandfather, who served in World War II, and two uncles who served during the Vietnam era.

“He always enjoyed going to shows where the planes were flying and visiting aircraft carriers to check out the jets on deck. From a very early age he identified with that and he worked hard to get there,” Mr. Brodeur recalled during tears.

At Auburn High School, David Brodeur was a member of the varsity soccer team and captain of the track team. After graduating with honors in 1994, he got a congressional recommendation to attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs after a year at Valley Forge (Pa.) Military Preparatory School. It was during his time at the Air Force Academy that he met his wife, Susan. The couple have two children, Elizabeth, 9; and David Jr., 6.

Auburn town and school officials and others have taken on several endeavors to honor the F-16 pilot, including the Major David Brodeur Memorial Foundation, which hosts a 5K race each fall to raise money for an annual scholarship for a graduating senior. Information can be obtained at www.brodeurfoundation.com. In February, the School Committee approved a plan for a memorial to Maj. Brodeur to be built near the rear entrance of the high school.

Last month, the class of 2016 at the U.S. Air Force Academy selected Maj. Brodeur as its Exemplar. A spokeswoman at the academy said an Exemplar is someone each class chooses to try to emulate, someone who has all the values the class considers an epitome of the academy.

The name of the team running in honor of David Brodeur is called Team Klepto, short for kleptomaniac. Klepto was the nickname David's military comrades gave him when he got his pilot wings. Mr. Brodeur said it was at his brother's wake that he learned the story behind the unusual nickname. Such names are usually based on some silly incident or something a person does out of the ordinary.

The story is that David was a big prankster. There was a lawn ornament at the home of an officer on base that David and his wife frequently walked past. One day, the ornament ended up in David's front yard and he was blamed for taking it. But no one ever really knew, said Mr. Brodeur.

“He never confessed. He liked to keep the mood light and put a smile on other people's faces, even when things were serious or difficult,” he said.

Asked what he misses most about his brother, Mr. Brodeur asks for a moment to compose himself.

“It's still difficult to talk about,” he explained, before continuing. “I saved one of the last emails he sent to me. It was just words of encouragement from him. He knew I was going through a hard time, trying to juggle responsibilities of life. He just said: 'Call me anytime, day or night.' ”

To donate to Team Klepto or any other runner or team in the Run/Walk to Home Base event go to www.runtohomebase.org.

Contact Elaine Thompson at ethompson@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @EThompsonTG

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